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Monday, February 20, 2012

Motivational Monday

OUR ATTITUDE TOWARD LIFE DETERMINES

LIFE'S ATTITUDE TOWARD US.

(Earl Nightingale)

Confession time. I do these Motivational Monday posts for me just as much as I do them for all of you. I struggle with being positive. I believe that worry - not blood - runs through my veins. Fears keep my spirit company in the deep dread of night. Dark thoughts float like aged ghosts through my poor, agonized mind.

And yet, every day - sometimes, it feels like every minute of every day - I make a choice. I try to focus on concrete and constructive action. I try to watch the words I use - why would I want to "kill some time" after all? I try to read and listen to and learn from positive people and limit my exposure to negative ones. I try to be grateful.

But I also know that some of that "darkness" is what makes me who I am, is what makes me write the stories I do, is what makes me creative. I take all that darkness and negativity, and force it all into an imaginary container, one I can dip into for story ideas. I'm learning to put the dark stuff on the page and let my demons duke it out there, while I turn my face to the light, to the warmth, to hope.

Madeline,I can certainly relate. Much of my darker elements reveal themselves in my writing. But I consider them purged at that time and can then bounce on to something brighter. If we kept the words locked inside, then who would know our souls?

I always love coming here for your Motivational Mondays, and this week is no exception. Love the quote, and I so relate to having fear running through your veins! Great way to put it, and I know we can overcome it.

Thanks, Donna. I try very hard to be positive. I think it actually goes against my nature which is why it's so difficult for me. But I'm realizing it's a choice - at least to some degree - and one I'm willing to fight for.

I have to admit that I'm playing catch-up today, and I'm glad I started here. What a lovely post, Madeline. It's funny how we work things out in our writing...sometimes I'll read something and think, "Oh. That's what I've been trying to say all along." Sometimes it takes a story to make sense of our stories. (You know what I mean. ;-)

And P.S. I have a love/hate thing with The Walking Dead. SO well done and written. But there's always that "WHY WON"T YOU DIE?" moment where my adrenaline pumps a zillion times a minute and the zombie just keeps coming, and...well, I sleep better when I don't watch it. But I miss it.